Graham Stuart Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Graham Thomas holding his namesake rose, bred byDavid Austin | |
| Born | Graham Stuart Thomas (1909-04-13)13 April 1909 Cambridge |
| Died | 17 April 2003(2003-04-17) (aged 94) Woking |
| Occupation(s) | Botanist, garden designer, author, artist |
| Known for | Roses, garden design, garden writing |
| Awards | OBE;Victoria Medal of Honour;Veitch Memorial Medal |
Graham Stuart ThomasOBE VMH (3 April 1909 – 17 April 2003) was an English horticulturist, who is likely best known for his work withgarden roses, his restoration and stewardship of over 100National Trust gardens and for writing 19 books on gardening, many of which remain classics today. However, as he states in the Preface to his outstanding book, The Rock Garden and its Plants: From Grotto to Alpine House, "My earliest enthusiasms in gardening were for....alpines." p8
In his obituary in theLos Angeles Times, Clair Martin, rose curator ofHuntington Botanical Gardens said: "Thomas set about preserving the heritage of old roses when many of them were on the verge of extinction".[1]
Graham Stuart Thomas was born inCambridge into a family of keen amateur gardeners and musicians. His father William Richard Thomas was a clerk toCambridge University syndicate.[2] He is said to have developed his interest in plants at the age of six, when he was given afuchsia as a gift. On another occasion, he spent a birthday present of half a crown buying alpine plants onCambridge Market.[2] By the age of eight. he had decided to make gardening his career.[3][4]
At 17, he joinedCambridge University Botanic Garden, which enabled him to also attend university lectures on horticulture andbotany. These lectures were his only formal education in the field of horticulture, although as a member of staff at the botanic garden he built up a practical and theoretical knowledge that would become the foundation of his career.[1][2] One of his earliest design projects was working on the rose garden there.[5]
In 1930, Thomas joined the then famous Six Hills Nursery inStevenage, working under alpine expertClarence Elliott. The following year he became foreman at T. Hilling & Co (Hillings), a renowned 300-acre nursery nearChobham, Surrey.[1][2][3]
It was while working at Hillings that Thomas met the formidable garden designerGertrude Jekyll, then aged 88, when he wrote her a letter and she invited him for a cup of tea and a chat about gardening.[4] She became a mentor to the young gardener, passing on her theories of garden design as an art. It was around this time that Thomas began to collect old shrub and climbing rose varieties, many of which had fallen out of favour because they only flowered once during the season.[3][6]
Thomas became partner atSunningdale Nurseries – then the most revered nursery in the country – withJim Russell. The partners became known for planting schemes that focused on form and foliage, as much as flowers. At Sunningdale, Thomas established his entire collection of roses.[3] It was here also that he began introducing new or rediscovered garden plants – notable introductions from this period include the perennialGeranium 'Claridge Druce'. While Thomas would become associated with many other projects, he would remain a director of the Sunningdale nursery until 1971.[2]
Thomas's first important publication about roses was a booklet calledThe Manual of Shrub Roses, describing all the varieties, with advice on cultivation. In the foreword he described the booklet's aim as: "To bring forth these lovely things from retirement." His classic books on roses –Old Shrub Roses (1955),Shrub Roses Of Today (1962) andClimbing Roses Old And New (1965) followed and cemented his influence. They also provided much-needed information about the history and extent of the genus at a time when old varieties were being overshadowed by their repeat flowering and showier cousinshybrid teas andfloribundas.[3]
Thomas began an informal association with the National Trust in the late 1940s, initially working atHidcote Manor when it passed to the Trust in 1948.[2] The relationship was formalised when he became its official gardens adviser in 1955.[3] This was a relationship that was to continue for the succeeding 20 years and gave him the opportunity to work with a vast array of plants in spectacular historic settings, such asSissinghurst Castle andMount Stewart.[7] It isMottisfont Abbey – a creation that he himself described as a "masterpiece" – where his rose collection found its final home, and where his garden design skills can be best appreciated.[3][7]
He also assisted with the 1968 restoration of theSezincote gardens.[8]
In 1975, Thomas received the OBE for his work with the National Trust. Other awards included theRoyal Horticultural Society'sVeitch Memorial Medal in 1966 andVictoria Medal of Honour in 1968.[3] He received a Gold Medal from the RHS for his paintings and drawings, the Dean Hole Medal from theRoyal National Rose Society and theGarden Writers' Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
In addition to his garden designs, books and illustrations, Thomas is remembered by name in various garden plants, including the vigoroushoneysuckleLonicera periclymenum 'Graham Thomas' and the 1983David Austin rose 'Graham Thomas'.[9][10]
He influenced a number of other notable rose growers, includingPeter Beales, who worked with him for a short time at Hillings.[11]
Books written by Graham Stuart Thomas include:
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